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WMU hockey season preview: 5 elements of impact for the Broncos' 2013-14 campaign

Andy Murray team.JPG

Western Michigan hockey coach Andy Murray talks to his team during a recent practice at Lawson Arena. The Broncos open the regular season Friday at Notre Dame and begin play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Nov. 1 against Colorado College.
(Steph Anderson Chambers | MLive.com)

Western Michigan freshman defenseman Mike McKee (left) battles for the puck in a recent practice at Lawson Arena. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Detroit Red Wings draft pick will be counted on to be a major component on the WMU blue line this season.Steph Anderson Chambers | MLive.com

The Broncos have 10 new players on the roster this season and eight are expected to see the ice regularly from the start. WMU had the fifth-best defense in the country last season, giving up an average of 2.05 goals per game, but the Broncos will be without Danny DeKeyser, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings after last season, and graduated senior Luke Witkowski. Junior Garrett Haar was kicked off the team in the offseason. The Broncos will turn to 6-foot-5, 250-pound Mike McKee, a fifth-round 2012 draft pick by the Red Wings, to be a major enforcer on the blue line. Taylor Flemming (5-11, 200) and Chris Dienes (6-2, 195) are also expected to join a defensive lineup that will include senior Dennis Brown, junior Jordan Oesterle and sophomore Kenney Morrison.

Head coach Andy Murray said the coaching staff expects a dramatic learning curve, but they hope it will be a fast one. McKee, a Newmarket, Ontario native, was a scrapper in the USHL and has a missing tooth to further prove his toughness. McKee won’t be able to drop the gloves at the college level and he said he’s embracing that change. “I’m actually excited to play and not do that part of the game, for a few years anyway,” he said with a smile. “You just play as hard as you can and you try to win every battle, block shots and I think that part of your game stays with you.”

Western Michigan’s offense was not bad last season, but there was a glaring issue. The Broncos could not finish on scoring chances. WMU regularly outshot opponents and by the end of the season had outshot opponents 1,136 to 937. However, the Broncos only scored 87 goals (77 percent conversion rate), while opponents converted 83 percent of their shots into goals (78 goals). WMU scored an average of 2.3 goals per game and gave up an average of 2.1 per contest. There was a small margin of error that wasn’t often exposed because of WMU’s strong defense and goaltending from Frank Slubowski.

WMU graduated its leading goal scorer from last season, Dane Walters, but returns its next five in Chase Balisy (25), Morrison (20), Shane Berschbach (18), Mike Cichy (18) and Brown (18).

WMU will needs its offense to be more efficient as the new defenders settle in to their roles. Murray said the team will not change its overall philosophy this season, but he hopes some added size with the incoming players will help the team finish on scoring chances. “We’ve always wanted to be an attacking team and in reality, in terms of scoring chances for and scoring chances against and shots for and shots against, we’ve always had a positive differential,” Murray said. “We have required way too many chances to score and we need some guys to step up and finish.”

Aaron Hadley (6-3, 205), Michael Rebry (6-1, 194) Sheldon Dries (5-9, 180), Sam Mellor (5-10, 180), Kyle Novak (5-11, 188) and J.T. Osborn (5-8, 180), join a group of forwards that already includes some size in sophomores Colton Hargrove (6-2, 215) and Josh Pitt (6-3, 206) and junior Will Kessel (6-2, 214). Balisy, a senior captain, said he thinks scoring won’t be an issue this season with added size and improvement with the sophomore class. “We have a lot of size this year, that’s for sure,” Balisy said. “A lot of those guys can really skate, too. I think size and speed is an asset for us this year.”

Providestrong leadership

Chase Balisy

WMU has four seniors, Balisy, Berschbach, Cichy and Brown, on the roster of 26 and Murray said he expects them all to be leaders as the Broncos play arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country and begin play in the high-profile National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will require a lot of airplane travel. Senior Shane Berschbach will wear the assistant captain’s letter along with juniors Kessel and David Killip. “When you have a lot of young players and when you only have four seniors, you can’t afford to only have 75 percent of them good,” Murray said.

Balisy said the four seniors and six juniors know what it’s like to experience success as they were part of the 2012 CCHA Tournament championship team and have played in two NCAA Tournament games and they will use those experiences to keep the underclassmen in line. “We have to set the example and the other guys have to follow,” Balisy said.

The Broncos had a successful regular season last year with 19 wins and a third place finish in the CCHA (15-7-3), but the pieces crumbled a bit in the final few weeks when they lost the regular season finale at Michigan State, while a win likely would have sealed an NCAA Tournament berth and then they could not win one game against Michigan at home in the CCHA Tournament to climb into the national tournament. Murray said the late-season disappointment stuck with the staff after the season, but they prepared to push hard this season while keeping in mind there is a lot of youth on the roster. Assistant coaches Rob Facca and Pat Ferschweiler were promoted to the position of associate head coach during the offseason.

“What did we learn from last year? Well, we have to push every night,” Murray said. “I think the key thing is we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. I think everyone thinks we’re starting over because we have these 10 new players, but we have to keep the same standards. I think as coaches we have to keep demanding the most of our players, but stay patient with them. We can’t be pushing so hard that we make our guys nervous and worried about making mistakes. We want the best from them because it’s the best for them, but we have to do a lot of coaching, stay positive and be patient.”

Don't forget the boarding passes

Western Michigan's entrance into the NCHC was a big step for the program, but it will require more air travel. The Broncos will make six plane trips during the regular season. The closest conference opponent and the only bus trip is Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, which is roughly a four-and-a-half-hour bus ride. The program's travel costs are expected to increase roughly $60,000, according to WMU officials. The increased travel could also take a toll on the players, who have to maintain their bodies and their grades.

Murray said he's looking for his team to find rewards in the challenging schedule, that could have the Broncos primed for a postseason run if they are able to have success during the regular season. "I think you get better when you play the best," he said. "We're going to be pushed to the limit every single night. That's the rewarding part. There's not a game when you can take your foot off the gas pedal and let up for a second."